Gabriella Messina is the owner and heart behind Sweet Messina’s Bakery. Her story began at a young age, following her MomMom Angie in the kitchen. Raised in a tight-knit, loving, and generous Italian family, Gabriella learned the importance of never showing up to someone's home without something sweet and always working to put a smile on someone's face. Both of her grandmothers were hardworking women who seized any opportunity to create something special in the kitchen. Gabriella reflects, “I find myself looking at their recipe books quite often, and it always brings tears to my eyes. To have known the love of these women and the time spent in their kitchens is something not many people can understand.”
Gabriella was always the creative type, whether it was learning to sew, perfecting pancake batter in her play kitchen with her sister, or designing custom cakes with rainbow-colored play dough. After losing her MomMom Angie in 2010, Gabriella became certain that her true calling was to bake and be a small part of many families' special moments. While in high school, she reluctantly took an entrepreneurship course, where she created a business plan for her very own bakery. To this day, she references the business information she learned from this course and reminisces about its impact on her baking career.
Following high school, Gabriella attended The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, where she studied Pastry Arts and graduated in 2019 with her bachelor's degree. She then embarked on her first full-time job, where her hard work, long hours, and determination contributed to the success of this small bakery. After leaving that position, Gabriella knew it was time to create her own success story.
In recent years, Gabriella learned that to achieve her goals, she needed to work hard and make sacrifices. Her family has always encouraged her to be the best version of herself, and she recognized that when taking the leap to start her own business, her family would be right by her side. “I say this time and time again, my family is my backbone. They are some really special people.” Gabriella also knows that if her grandmothers were here today, they would be an unwavering support, always cheering her on. And, of course, reminding her of what a “pinch” or “just enough” looks like when measuring ingredients.
We aim to make each day sweeter, every smile bigger, and every special moment one to truly remember!
We pride ourselves in using the freshest quality local ingredients available. All desserts made daily on premise.
Gabriella's creativity truly shines. Perfected as a child making pancake batter with her sister in their play kitchen.
We take pride in each and every order. Our custom cakes are personalized and designed special for your event.
Gabriella hopes that when visiting her bakery at 1217 Darby Road in Havertown, you feel right at home. She aims to make each day sweeter, every smile bigger, and make sure you, to, never show up to someone's home without something sweet!
Gabriella is excited to see what the future has in store and cannot wait to be a part of your family’s special events! Thank you for supporting a small business owner’s dream!
